Adopted by Tsunade [251-252] (Patreon)

Chapter 251 — Mission to Takigakure

At the gates of Konoha.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino had already arrived early.

The first two were chatting.

Mainly Sakura talking, Sasuke listening.

Ino watched the two of them with a smile on her face.

She found it quite amusing.

Especially since Sakura was her best friend.

A close friend—and a frenemy.

She could tell that Sasuke didn’t really like Sakura all that much.

But he’d never openly said he hated her, either.

That obviously meant there was still a chance.

On that point, Ino could only give her blessings.

There wasn’t much she could help with.

By comparison, Ino felt she was luckier.

After all, Natsume liked her.

Probably.

Ino kept watching and gradually zoned out.

Why isn’t he here yet?

She glanced every so often in the direction of the Hokage Building.

The next second, Natsume suddenly appeared right in front of her.

And the distance between them was extremely close.

The faint fragrance on Ino’s body made Natsume instinctively take a light breath.

This is youth.

Unlike before, there was now a diamond-shaped mark on Ino’s forehead.

The sign that the Yin Seal training had succeeded.

It meant that from now on she could regulate her own body.

The two of them looked at each other for two seconds. Ino’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she took a step back.

“Natsume-kun.”

“How long have you been here?”

After a brief glance at Sasuke and Sakura, Natsume lowered his head to look at Ino.

Her lips seemed to have a layer of gloss on them, looking shiny and soft.

“Just a few minutes.”

Noticing his gaze, Ino turned her head away, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Natsume-sensei.”

Sasuke appeared between the two of them at just the wrong time.

Taking the opportunity to finally escape Sakura’s endless chatter.

For someone who only pursued strength, everything else was just an obstacle.

As for love and such, he didn’t even have the concept.

“Natsume-sensei.”

Sakura followed close behind, greeting him.

Although this was just a temporary team-up, calling him “sensei” wasn’t much of a problem.

Besides, she was Yakushi Nonō’s apprentice, which, in a sense, meant she had a fairly close connection to Natsume as well.

“Let’s head out.”

Seeing the situation, Natsume didn’t continue with small talk.

After registering with the two gate guards, the four of them left Konoha.

Takigakure was located in the northwest of the Land of Fire, right next to the Land of Grass.

If they just ran there at a normal pace, it would take about a day.

“Natsume-kun, what’s our mission this time?”

Ino caught up to him and asked.

She tended to be meticulous about missions.

Actually, she’d wanted to ask back in the Hokage’s office.

But Natsume hadn’t said anything.

He’d just told them to gather at the village gate.

“A missing-nin named Suien.”

Natsume answered casually. “ANBU received intel that he’s joined forces with some mysterious organization and plans to attack Takigakure.”

Ino nodded and mentally recorded the relevant details.

She asked again, “What organization?”

“No idea.”

Natsume shook his head. “That’s one of our objectives as well.”

The conversation ended.

The four of them stopped talking, hurrying along the road in silence.

At that speed, they needed to conserve their stamina.

By dusk, they had already arrived in the Land of Waterfalls.

Since Takigakure was not far, the four decided not to rest and pushed straight ahead to their destination.

…

A remote, nameless place.

“It’s spectacular…”

Sakura stared in amazement at the massive waterfall in front of them, towering three to four hundred meters high.

“No wonder Takigakure has never been dragged into the wars.”

Ino spoke thoughtfully. “In a place like this, if you don’t have a specific map, it’d be very hard to find.”

“Who’s our target?”

Sasuke asked bluntly. “Is it related to a tailed beast?”

Ever since he’d awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, he’d really wanted to fight a jinchūriki.

Although Naruto could satisfy that urge, Naruto was a teammate, so he couldn’t go all out.

Especially when it came to his two ocular powers.

Sasuke knew very well how dangerous they were. To avoid accidental killing, he had never used them in sparring.

“The missing-nin Suien.”

Natsume replied offhandedly.

“Is he strong?”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“He’s decent.”

Natsume knew what he was thinking. “Don’t worry, you’ll have your chance to shine.”

Sasuke gave a short nod and fell silent.

“Someone’s approaching us.”

Ino suddenly spoke up.

Her role in the squad was medic and sensor.

So she had been maintaining an appropriate level of vigilance.

Sasuke instinctively reached toward the hilt at his waist.

This was a katana reforged from Kurosuki Raiga’s twin swords.

It provided a good boost to Lightning Release.

He had named it Futsuno Mitama.

The sword of the deity Takemikazuchi in legend.

Since one of Sasuke’s eye techniques was called “Takemikazuchi,” he had borrowed the name Futsuno Mitama for his blade.

“It’s Takigakure’s ninja coming to meet us.”

Natsume raised a hand slightly. “No need to be tense.”

“Hi everyone!”

Accompanied by a bright, lively voice, a dark-skinned girl with green hair appeared in front of them.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed.

Such massive chakra.

Definitely not an ordinary person.

“Fū!”

A boy ran out from behind her, his expression displeased. “How many times have I told you? Don’t rush out recklessly!”

On both sides stood two older men, each wearing a Takigakure forehead protector.

“Leader, didn’t you say Konoha is our ally?”

Fū didn’t care at all and looked eagerly at Natsume and the others. “I’m Fū. Let’s be friends!”

Fū.

The Seven-Tails’ jinchūriki.

In the original story, she took part in the joint Chūnin Exams held in Sunagakure.

Her personality was quite innocent, very outgoing, and she desperately wanted to make friends.

A bit like Naruto.

This was related to the environment she grew up in.

In Takigakure, she had been cherished since childhood, and because of that, she had no scheming bone in her body—just a cheerful little girl.

In the end, she was killed by Kakuzu and Hidan, and the Seven-Tails was extracted.

Later, Uchiha Obito turned her into one of the Six Paths of Pain.

Tragic, to say the least.

“Fū, don’t be rude.”

The boy pulled her behind him and looked at Natsume. “I’m Shibuki. Are you Lord Hokage?”

“I am.”

Natsume smiled. “Fū’s pretty interesting.”

“Right?”

Fū peeked her head back out. “I think we can be friends.”

“Don’t interrupt.”

Shibuki tapped her on the head helplessly.

He was the one who’d told Fū to make more friends, but there was still a time and place for everything.

Not that he could really blame her.

It was just her nature.

In the end, it still came down to her being spoiled.

Natsume suddenly thought of Naruto and Gaara.

If they’d grown up like this, a lot of plot would’ve been cut out.

“Lord Hokage.”

Shibuki refocused and said with a polite smile, “Let me introduce you—these two are Takigakure jōnin, Kegon and Yōrō.”

“Lord Hokage.”

Kegon and Yōrō greeted him, their tone neither warm nor cold.

“These are my three students—Sasuke, Ino, and Sakura.”

Natsume said casually.

“Lord Hokage.”

After a brief round of pleasantries, Shibuki got back to the point. “Where is Suien now?”

He had received the message from Konoha yesterday.

It had scared him out of his wits.

Even though Takigakure had a jinchūriki, Shibuki’s naturally timid disposition made him deeply anxious.

So when he heard that Natsume would be coming in person, he decided to come greet him himself.

“He should be close to Takigakure by now.”

Natsume closed his eyes for a moment to sense, then replied.

“Suien was actually my teacher.”

Shibuki’s expression instantly turned ugly. He took a deep, steadying breath. “I never thought he’d go this far.”

“What’s done is done. There’s no other way now.”

Natsume glanced at him.

Suien and Shibuki…

They were somewhat like Orochimaru and Minato.

Except Minato was excellent enough.

Shibuki, on the other hand, fell far short.

If Natsume were in Suien’s shoes, he would’ve defected too.

“You’re right, Lord Hokage.”

Shibuki came back to himself. “Let’s head into the village first.”

He stepped straight into the waterfall, leading the way into a complicated and lengthy hidden passage.

After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived at Takigakure.

Because Suien hadn’t yet arrived, Shibuki assigned rooms for the four of them.

…

Night fell.

Natsume and his team were treated with sincere hospitality.

Meanwhile, outside by the waterfall, Suien and the Third Raikage had already arrived.

Behind them was a group of rogue ninja.

Arranged by Suien.

In his plan, as long as the Third Raikage could capture the jinchūriki Fū, they’d have the battle in the bag.

If he couldn’t, then the whole thing would fall apart.

And Suien himself would have to run for his life once again.

“What’s the plan?”

The Third Raikage asked in a cold voice.

“Kill Shibuki.”

Suien wanted to become the new village leader, so of course he couldn’t wipe out all of Takigakure.

If he did that, there’d be no point.

“They’re coming.”

Suien narrowed his eyes.

Two ninja wearing Takigakure forehead protectors appeared.

“Who’s—Suien?!”

Their expressions changed at the same time.

“I have no interest in fighting you.”

Suien waved his hand. “Go call Shibuki out.”

The two exchanged a look and turned to leave.

They knew Suien’s strength all too well, so they went to call for help without hesitation.

Relying on Takigakure’s hidden location to deal with the enemy was out of the question.

After all, Suien knew more of the village’s secrets than they did.

“I’ll be counting on you in a bit.”

Suien took a deep breath.

The Third Raikage gave a slight nod, expressionless.

…

The two Takigakure ninja rushed back into the village and found Shibuki.

“Village Leader, the missing-nin Suien is outside. He specifically asked for you.”

“I understand. You may go.”

Shibuki unconsciously took a deep breath.

Even though Natsume had already told him beforehand, just hearing Suien’s name still made him tense up.

“Bring us there.”

Sasuke stood up abruptly, a spark of eagerness in his eyes.

It was finally time for him to show what he could do.

Shibuki was slightly taken aback.

He had no idea how strong Sasuke really was.

He just assumed Natsume had brought him along for the experience.

Seeing him so proactive now made Shibuki feel that Sasuke was overly confident.

“Lord Hokage.”

Shibuki turned to Natsume. “What should we do now?”

His personality at this point was even worse than in the original story—he was completely at a loss.

Which once again highlighted the miracle that was Naruto.

Naruto had persuaded Shibuki to drink the Hero Water, regain his courage, and repel Suien and his men.

“Don’t worry. Just leave it to us.”

Natsume replied casually.

Of course, he had no patience for any talk-no-jutsu here.

Besides, if Shibuki didn’t change his nature, he’d produce more Fate Points in the long run.

As soon as Natsume finished speaking, the most enthusiastic one turned out to be Sasuke.

He strode straight to the front of the group.

“Village Leader, I’ll go too.”

Noticing that no one had mentioned her, Fū quickly spoke up.

“You can’t go!”

Shibuki’s tone was serious.

Fū was the Seven-Tails’ jinchūriki, Takigakure’s trump card and secret weapon.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t use her.

Moreover, he didn’t want the fact that the village had a jinchūriki exposed to outsiders.

“But…”

Fū hesitated, looking unwilling.

“It’s fine.”

Ino smiled. “With us here, we won’t need you to step in.”

“That’s right.”

Shibuki gave her a grateful look, then added, “And the village still needs someone to guard it. I don’t trust anyone else with that job. I’ll have to trouble you.”

“No problem!”

Fū completely failed to notice the way they were playing off each other and answered excitedly, “I’ll protect everyone for sure!”

Shibuki secretly let out a breath and turned to catch up with Sasuke, heading outside the village.

It didn’t take long for the two sides to come face to face.

“So it’s Konoha ninja.”

Suien let out a cold laugh. “No wonder you dare come out to meet me alone.”

“Sensei.”

Shibuki mustered his courage. “If you’re willing to stop now, you can still be Takigakure’s advisor.”

“Enough!”

Killing intent flashed in Suien’s eyes. “The reason I’m here today is not to listen to your nonsense.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the ninja behind him threw out showers of kunai and shuriken.

In an instant, it was like a black dome descended over everyone.

Sasuke’s hand went straight to his sword hilt.

With a clear ring, the long blade left its sheath.

Blinding lightning surged over it.

In a heartbeat, the katana had become a blade of pure thunder.

Sasuke gave it a simple swing.

Lightning flared, forming a blade several meters wide.

The shuriken and kunai were cut perfectly in half.

Some were reduced to powder, others were deflected and sent spinning back.

The thunder blade didn’t stop there—its remaining force spread like a storm.

Suien’s pupils shrank.

He hadn’t expected a brat barely out of childhood to have such absurd power.

He quickly formed hand seals.

A wall of water rose up in front of him.

Sasuke didn’t pursue.

He flew through a set of hand signs.

The chirping of countless birds filled the air, loud enough to drown out the waterfall itself.

The lightning on Sasuke’s blade flared even brighter.

Bolts of electricity coiled around him, radiating aggressive power in all directions.

He activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.

His figure vanished in an instant.

A flicker of lightning flashed through the air.

By the time Suien reacted, Sasuke was already above him, katana raised high and cleaving down.

I’m done for—

At that moment, a second streak of blinding lightning erupted.

The Third Raikage stepped in front of Suien and met the lightning-clad sword with a straight punch.

Sasuke’s brows lifted slightly.

Arrogant!

But in the next instant, the lightning twisted.

The Raikage’s fist slammed into the blade, sending tremendous force surging along it.

The entire katana trembled violently.

Sasuke’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth but refused to let go of his sword.

That choice came with a price.

The Third Raikage took the opportunity to raise his right leg and drove a kick straight at him.

Sasuke instinctively opened his Mangekyō Sharingan, barely catching the trajectory. He lifted his elbow to block.

A sharp crack rang out.

Bone.

Sasuke’s body went flying.

…

Chapter 252 — Sasuke Gets Beaten

“Sasuke-kun!”

Sakura cried out instinctively.

She wanted to rush forward to catch him, but he was falling too fast.

By the time she reacted, he had already slammed into the ground.

“Don’t come over!”

Face like thunder, Sasuke forced himself back to his feet.

Thanks to the Mangekyō he’d activated at the last second, he’d avoided most of the damage.

He wasn’t as badly hurt as it had looked.

Only his left elbow was fractured.

But he didn’t have the mind to care about that now.

In front of everyone, he had stepped up full of confidence—

And then got booted away in one kick.

One could imagine how awful he felt.

Especially since Natsume, Sakura, and Ino were all standing behind him.

The first had gone to great trouble to help him awaken his eyes, and this was how he’d performed.

The other two were his teammates. If they spread the story around, where would he put his face?

Sasuke gripped his katana more tightly.

Chakra surged around him and quickly turned into a corona of lightning.

Chidori Current!

Chidori diffusing over his entire body.

From that brief exchange, he had realized the Third Raikage’s specialty was taijutsu-based ninjutsu.

Fast and powerful.

With his small frame, one clean hit would do serious damage.

So he decided to wrap himself in Chidori for defense.

The Third Raikage didn’t press his advantage.

That was on Natsume’s orders.

But in Sasuke’s eyes, it was an insult.

He stepped forward and vanished, his speed exploding.

He wasn’t any slower than the Third Raikage from a moment ago.

His blade swung upward in a diagonal slash from below.

He was short; there was only so much he could do.

The Raikage’s counter was very simple. He lifted his right arm and slammed his elbow down.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!

Sasuke’s Mangekyō Sharingan met the Third Raikage’s gaze head-on.

Under normal circumstances, even if someone broke free from genjutsu quickly, there would be a brief pause.

His idea was to use that pause to evade the elbow and finish him off.

But the Third Raikage was already being controlled by another power.

How could he fall into a second illusion?

Unless it was Kotoamatsukami.

After all, in the original story, Itachi had used Kotoamatsukami to dispel the Impure World Reincarnation.

“That’s impossible…”

Sasuke’s face froze.

The Raikage completely ignored his genjutsu and smashed his elbow into the blade.

The sword didn’t shatter, but the impact made it shudder violently.

Sasuke staggered, his grip slipping. The katana flew out in an arc and landed some distance away.

Before he could react, the Third Raikage’s leg came crashing down toward his head.

The gust of wind alone was oppressive.

Sensing imminent danger, Sasuke’s Mangekyō trembled.

Takemikazuchi!

An overwhelmingly powerful sealing force spread outward.

The whole space seemed to pause for a split second.

Body Flicker!

Sasuke retreated at top speed.

Relieved he’d dodged, he looked at the Third Raikage with a trace of pride.

Once his eye technique locked onto someone, it was nearly impossible to escape.

Lightning flared.

Visible bolts expanded outward, instantly wrapping the Raikage. His hair stood completely on end.

Before the spatial distortion could crush him, his figure disappeared entirely.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

An armor formed by Lightning Release chakra at its extreme limit, granting both tremendous attack and defense.

The original story hadn’t given many details on the Third Raikage.

But when the Fourth Raikage A used his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Lightning Strike Armour, his speed rivaled Minato’s Flying Thunder God. Even Mangekyō Sharingan couldn’t clearly track him, and he could evade Sasuke’s Amaterasu.

Even if the Third Raikage was weaker, it wouldn’t be by much.

“No way!”

Watching all of this, Sasuke felt as though his faith had been shaken.

He’d thought that after awakening his Mangekyō, he should be able to crush almost anyone short of a select few monsters.

He hadn’t expected to get overturned in a little village like Takigakure.

It was hard for him to accept.

The Third Raikage didn’t give him any time to breathe. Lightning flashed, and he appeared in front of Sasuke again.

Takemikazuchi!

Unwilling to admit defeat, Sasuke used his eye technique once more.

At the same time, he flew through hand seals and spat out a massive fireball.

The Raikage didn’t care in the slightest. He drove his right fist straight through the fireball, tearing it apart and slamming it into Sasuke’s chest.

Sasuke’s chest visibly caved in as a blast of air burst out, sending blood spraying in all directions.

“Ahhh!”

He screamed as his body shot backward like a cannonball.

The Third Raikage gave him a brief glance before casually sidestepping the warped space.

The entire sequence hadn’t even taken one second.

Everyone on the field was stunned.

“Sasuke-kun!”

Sakura Body Flickered to Sasuke’s side. Green light appeared over her hands.

Mystic Palm Technique.

The warm chakra made Sasuke regain a bit of clarity.

He tried to get up, but a violent cough sent blood spilling from his mouth again.

“Sasuke-kun, don’t move!”

Sakura’s face was full of panic and fear. “Your injuries are too severe. You can’t move around.”

“I’ll help.”

Ino quickly joined her, her hands glowing green as well.

For a moment, the overlapping light made Sasuke look as if he were bathed in green.

As the short battle ended, everyone snapped out of their daze.

They had first been shocked by Sasuke’s strength—whether it was the three-tomoe Sharingan or Chidori, they were all at jōnin level.

But the Third Raikage’s overwhelming victory left their jaws on the floor.

Especially Suien and Shibuki.

They recognized the signature ninjutsu the Raikage had used.

Kumogakure taijutsu.

In particular, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

The Third Raikage fell in the Third Great Ninja War.

He fought ten thousand Iwagakure ninja alone for three days and three nights, finally dying of exhaustion.

Takigakure hadn’t taken part in that war and had never seen him in action.

But that didn’t stop them from guessing.

“You’re the Fourth Raikage?”

Suien swallowed hard.

The Third Raikage’s death was widely known.

Very few people knew of Impure World Reincarnation.

Naturally, they assumed this was the Fourth Raikage.

In Suien’s mind, it made perfect sense.

Kumogakure had always been aggressive and predatory toward other villages.

Targeting Takigakure, which had a tailed beast, was only reasonable.

At this moment, Suien actually started hesitating.

Working with Kumogakure was incredibly risky.

“Raikage?”

Shibuki’s heart clenched. Panic visibly showed on his face.

Suien alone was nothing to fear.

But adding Kumogakure on top of him meant a potential disaster for Takigakure.

“I’m not.”

The Third Raikage’s tone was flat. “Who I am doesn’t matter. It’s time for you to move.”

Suien gritted his teeth. “Kill them!”

At this point, there was no room for hesitation—there was no turning back.

Success was right in front of him. He couldn’t bear to give it up.

Now that Sasuke had lost his combat ability, only Natsume remained. He’d just leave that one to the Third Raikage.

The rest were nothing to worry about.

As soon as he gave the order—

His hands blurred through seals, and his chakra formed a massive water dragon that surged toward Shibuki and the others.

The ninja behind him moved as well.

Ninja tools and jutsu of all kinds flew out together.

In an instant, the entire space was filled with colorful chakra.

The oppressive pressure washed over them.

Shibuki unconsciously stepped back a few paces.

If it were just him, he would only have one choice right now: surrender.

But Natsume was here.

He’d heard stories about Natsume, so he had a great deal of faith in him.

As for Suien, he barely even knew the name.

He’d simply assumed Suien was an ordinary Konoha jōnin and had concluded that the Third Raikage would easily handle him.

Under Shibuki’s expectant gaze, Natsume clapped his hands together.

Sasuke was out for the count, so there was no more point to this trial.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was over.

There would be another chance.

The ground shook.

Trees burst from the earth, rapidly growing taller.

In moments, they had filled the open space before the waterfall and merged seamlessly with the surrounding forest.

Under Natsume’s control, countless vines stretched out like the mouths of pitcher plants, swallowing every oncoming attack.

“Wood Release?!”

Suien’s pupils shrank. He instinctively leapt into the air.

By now, the whole ninja world knew that Wood Release was Hokage Natsume’s signature.

Which meant he’d run straight into a steel wall.

“Ahhhh!”

The ninja behind him weren’t as fast.

They were swallowed by the forest, their screams overlapping.

Suien had no time to worry about them.

He could barely fend for himself.

As he bounded away, dodging the encroaching vines, he turned to look for the Third Raikage.

“Where is he?!”

He froze.

Vines wrapped around him.

He struggled with all his might, to no avail.

“Damn it! You bastard!”

Suien cursed endlessly, his whole body trembling with fury.

He had never imagined the Third Raikage would run this fast.

It was just Natsume—

He was strong, sure, but the Raikage was no slouch either.

He wasn’t even going to try?

So much for being a “strong man”!

Shibuki stared, dumbstruck.

He knew Natsume was strong, but not this strong.

This was exactly like the rumors.

He had expected a fierce battle.

Instead, it had been over in seconds.

Shibuki had reason to believe that if it weren’t for Sasuke, it would’ve been even faster.

“I’ll leave them to you.”

Natsume pointed at the captured Suien and the others.

Shibuki snapped out of his daze.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again.

Suddenly, a thought came to him: if he had strength like this, would he still be such a coward?

“I’ll go call more people.”

Shibuki turned and disappeared into the waterfall.

Natsume walked over to where Sasuke lay.

He had already slipped into unconsciousness.

“How is he?”

Natsume looked him over.

“No major danger.”

Ino got to her feet and answered. “But he’s lost a lot of blood. He’ll need time to recover.”

Medical ninjutsu wasn’t omnipotent.

It could heal wounds, but it couldn’t restore you to your original state instantly.

What you’d lost internally couldn’t be replenished in a short time.

“Sakura, I’ll send you and Sasuke back to Konoha Hospital. You stay and take care of him.”

Natsume thought for a moment. “Ino and I will stay behind to wrap up the mission.”

“Okay!”

Sakura’s chakra faded and her face turned pale.

But hearing that she’d be able to stay alone with Sasuke, her eyes lit up with excitement.

Natsume formed the Flying Thunder God seals.

In a flash, he was gone and back again, leaving only himself and Ino at the scene.

They barely had time to speak before Shibuki appeared again leading a group of Takigakure ninja.

Seeing the suddenly appeared forest—and especially the captured Suien—they were all visibly shocked.

They now had a very real impression of the legendary Wood Release.

…

After a flurry of activity—

Suien and the others were thrown into Takigakure’s prison.

Natsume didn’t leave yet.

He was interested in the Hero Water and the great tree that produced it.

He suspected it might be related to Kaguya.

The Hero Water converted life force into chakra.

It was very similar to the Ten-Tails—i.e., the God Tree—absorbing the planet’s energy to produce chakra fruit.

“Lord Hokage, thank you for your aid.”

Shibuki hurried over, full of sincerity. “If you hadn’t provided us with that information in time, Takigakure would’ve been in serious trouble.”

The Third Raikage’s power had made him realize that even with Fū, the Seven-Tails’ jinchūriki, they weren’t necessarily safe.

Konoha had literally saved his life.

Of course, Takigakure’s crisis wasn’t entirely over.

Suien was gone, but in his place was an even more terrifying Third Raikage.

Even if he hadn’t admitted to being a Raikage, his taijutsu clearly originated from Kumogakure.

In any event, they were connected.

“Lord Hokage, I have one more request.”

Shibuki took a deep breath. “If you hear any news about this Kumogakure powerhouse, I’d like you to let us know.”

“No problem.”

Natsume smiled. “But I have a condition.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Shibuki wasn’t surprised.

Takigakure and Konoha might have good relations, but not so good that they could freeload everything.

“I want some Hero Water.”

Natsume said. “Not much, just a few will do.”

Shibuki’s expression tightened.

But after a moment’s hesitation, he still nodded.

“Please follow me.”

He led the way deeper into the village.

Before long, an enormous, sky-piercing tree came into view.

It wasn’t as big as the true God Tree, but still stood a good twenty or thirty meters high.

Natsume’s eyes narrowed.

He sensed a strange familiarity.

He rubbed his chin, recalling that in the anime it had been mentioned that the Sage of Six Paths had sent Asura and Indra to deal with the remains of the Ten-Tails.

This tree might have grown out of those remains.

“This tree is really tall.”

Natsume remarked casually. “Do you know how old it is?”

“Its age?”

Shibuki shook his head. “I don’t know. It was here before Takigakure was founded.”

Natsume fell into thought.

The “one village per country” system had been created by Senju Hashirama.

In other words, this tree had to be at least a hundred years old.

Shibuki climbed up into the branches and disappeared into the lush canopy.

Ten minutes later, he reappeared.

“The Hero Water increases a ninja’s chakra, but it also drains their life force. It must be used with caution.”

He produced a glass bottle.

“Thank you.”

Natsume accepted it without ceremony.

The two of them left together.

Since it was already late at night, Natsume didn’t rush to depart and decided to stay over.

…

[Because of your actions, the fates of Suien, Shibuki, and Fū have changed. You have gained 130 Fate Points.]

Back in his room, the prompt from the Ring of Fate sounded.

The extra name—Fū—caught Natsume off guard.

Maybe it was because her storyline had shifted.

He couldn’t be sure.

Soon, he started examining the Hero Water.

It was a form of Yang Release.

Increasing chakra meant boosting both physical and spiritual energy.

And because it devoured life force, that, too, fell under Yang Release.

It resembled the Eight Gates Released Formation—forcing the body to unlock its potential.

If you could withstand it, you’d be fine.

If not, you’d die.

This made Natsume think of the meteorite in Hoshigakure.

Absorb the meteorite’s radiation, and you became much stronger.

But it also came with serious side effects on the human body.